"Satan is the Enemy—and a subtle one. Satan takes away light and truth by seducing a person into disobedience (see D&C 93:39). He is very subtle, because he does not want to be detected as separate from the person he is seducing. If a person could detect Satan, he or she would have greater power to withstand the evil spirit. It seems that we are never alone. There are spiritual influences playing around us continually. How important it is for us to know that the spirits who followed Satan in the great rebellion in Heaven got here before even Adam and Eve and are still here. What are they doing? They are influencing you and me. They dwell in the hearts of the children of men (see Mosiah 3:6). We are their victims until we learn to discern what is of God from what is not of God. There are only two options and only two voices, as Alma teaches: Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; . . . and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, . . . ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold. (Alma 5:38–39) That is, if we are not deliberately and consciously cultivating the Holy Ghost as our constant shepherd, we may know for a surety that we are unwittingly taking signals from the adversary and reaping the wages of service to him."

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